11 research outputs found
Threats to feminist identity and reactions to gender based discrimination
The aim of this research was to examine conditions that modify feministsâsupport for women as targets of
gender discrimination. In an experimental study we tested a
hypothesis that threatened feminist identity will lead to
greater differentiation between feminists and conservative
women as victims of discrimination and, in turn, a decrease
in support for non-feminist victims. The study was
conducted among 96 young Polish female professionals
and graduate students from Gender Studies programs in
Warsaw who self-identified as feminists (Mage=22.23).
Participants were presented with a case of workplace gender
discrimination. Threat to feminist identity and worldview of
the discrimination victim (feminist vs. conservative) were
varied between research conditions. Results indicate that
identity threat caused feminists to show conditional reactions to discrimination. Under identity threat, feminists perceived the situation as less discriminatory when the target
held conservative views on gender relations than when the
target was presented as feminist. This effect was not observed under conditions of no threat. Moreover, feminists
showed an increase in compassion for the victim when she
was portrayed as a feminist compared to when she was
portrayed as conservative. Implications for the feminist
movement are discussed
Gender in Politics
Womenâs political participation and representation vary dramatically within and between countries. We selectively review the literature on gender in politics, focusing on womenâs formal political participation.
We discuss both traditional explanations for womenâs political participation and representation, such as the supply of women and the demand for women, and newer explanations such as the role of international actors and gender quotas. We also ask whether women are distinctiveâdoes having more women in office make a difference to public policy? Throughout the review we demonstrate that a full understanding of womenâs political representation requires both deep knowledge of individual cases such as the United States and broad knowledge comparing womenâs participation across countries. We end with four recommended directions for future research: (a) globalizing theory and research, (b) expanding data collection, (c) remembering alternative forms of womenâs agency, and (d ) addressing intersectionality